Elevator and trailer support structure



April 7, 1964 w. K. ZELL 3, 7,

f ELEVATOR AND TRAILER SUPPORT STRUCTURE Filed Oct. 19, 1961 2Sheets-Sheet 1 fi l6 A 4o 48 F I g .4.

INVENTOR. Walter K. Zell BY mJ/M 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 3.

ELEVATOR AND TRAILER SUPPORT STRUCTURE Filed Oct. 19,

- April 7, ,1964

INVENTOR. Walter K. Zell -fi I f h m M 0 6 2 a 1 0 5 United StatesPatent 3,127,998 ELEVATOR AN!) TRAILER SUPPORT STRUCTURE Walter K. Zell,1472 Filbert St, San Francisco, Calif. Filed Oct. 19, 1961, Ser. No.146,300 (Jlaims. (Cl. 214-16.l)

This invention relates to an elevator and trailer support structure andis a continuation-in-part of my co-pending United States patentapplication Serial No. 73,309, filed December 2, 1960, now Patent No.3,084,813, for Trailer Court.

In my co-pending patent application there was set forth a buildingstructure which generally included two parallel vertical walls withplatforms mounted on the end of the walls for supporting the oppositeends of trailers in relatively stacked position. An elevator mechanismwas provided with the structure which allowed the trailers to betransversely moved to a position in supporting alignment on theplatforms.

The object of this invention is to provide a structural platform whichextends the full length between the two parallel vertical walls andprovides a continuous support for trailers mounted theron. The platformis formed with its main longitudinal support member being outwardlyorientated relative to the center portion of trailers to be mounted onthe platform so that a cut-out can be provided between the mainlongitudinal support of the platform and the inner edge of the platformto receive elevator cables and to allow them to be moved from theelevator shaft area to a position in central alignment over the supportarea of the platform.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel elevator systemin which cable supports are arranged to move a central elevator up anddown by two cables which always retain an equally spaced apart relationto each other in alignment with the cut-out portions of the respectivesupport platforms and further providing means for carrying trailers ofvarious lengths in suspended position from the elevator carriage so thatthe entire carriage and elevator can be transversely as well asvertically moved.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel elevator systemin which a central beam is provided with hoisting chains which lift thebeam to respective elevations and with the further mechanism of meansfor transversely moving the beam so that it can be readily positioned tovarious positions relative to the platforms located on either side ofthe elevator well. The beam is provided with a depending support whichis arranged to support and carry trailers in depending relation to thebeam so that the trailers carried by the beam can be positioned inalignment with the respective platforms of the building structure.

A further object of this invention is to provide a move platform forsupporting two trailers in stacked relation in which the longitudinalsupport for the platform extends between two opposite wall panels insuch a way as to support the platform throughout its entire length. Thesupport is arranged so that portions of the inner wall of the platformcan be cut away next or adjacent to the vertical wall structuressupporting the platform to receive elevator cables without impairing theload bearing tolerance of the platform structure.

A feature and advantage of this invention is that the elevator mechanismsupports the trailers with structural elements that have a minimumheight so that the supporting element can carry a dependnig trailer andposition it at the various levels of the building structure whileallowing minimal clearance between the top of the trailer and the rearupper platform or floor.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent upon readingthe following specification and referring to the accompanying drawingsin which similar characters of reference represent corresponding partsin each of the several views.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a portion of two tiers of platformsand the elevator mechanism for use in association therewith.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation in partial cross-section of the apparatus ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 taken at line3--3.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the trailer supporting portionof the elevator.

Referring now to the drawings the basic structure of the trailer supportbuilding comprises a pair of spaced apart vertical parallel walls 15.Between the two walls are a plurality of trailer support platforms 16,each of the platforms being horizontally disposed and in end abutmentwith vertical walls 15.

The respective platforms are spaced a distance at least equal to theheight of trailers 19 to be supported by the platform plus a small areafor the hoist or elevator mechanism generally indicated at 20, whichwill be hereinafter described.

The platforms are anchored to walls 15 by conventiopal means to providea sufficient anchor to support the platform and the trailer in order tobe carried by the platform.

Platform 16 comprises a top plate 25 with a depending beam 26 extendingthe entire length of the bottom of the platform. Beam 26 is similarlyanchored into the two spaced apart walls 15 and is formed of sufiicien-tstrength to provide the longitudinal support for plate 25 in thesuspension between the two vertical walls 15.

Platforms 16 are mounted in two parallel columns spaced apart a distancegreater than the maximum width of trailers 19 to be carried by thestructure. The area between the respective rows of columns or platformsdefines the elevator shaft area or well 30.

Each platform is provided with a cut-out area indicated at 31 extendingfrom vertical wall 15 inwardly and extending into the platform to apoint approximate I-beam 26. The cut-out area is designed to receive thesupport cables 35 of elevator 20.

The upper and motor portion of the elevator comprises a carriage 36mounted on top of each of the walls 15. A pulley 37 is mounted on eachcarriage. The carriages are carried by tracks 39 so that the carriagescan be transversely moved across the width of support walls 15. Cables35 are connected to the pulleys 37 so that the cables can be retractedor let out in accordance with the action of motors carried withincarriages 36. The depending ends of the cables 35 are connected to theends of an I-beam 4d. 7

In operation normally the two carriages 36 on the two opposite walls aremoved in synchronization. The pulses are also synchronized so thatI-beam will be raised and lowered in substantially parallelrelationship.

Trailers 19 are depended from I-beam 40 by means of a support rackhaving two angularly outwardly depending arms 46 which are mounted byrollers 47 on the bottom leg 48 of I-beam 40. The rollers allow the rackto move throughout the length of the I-beam. The bottom of rack 45 isprovided with inwardly extending forks 49. The forks are arranged toengage the underside of trailers 19 for supporting engagement therewith.

The verandas or porches 50 for the trailers to be supported on theplatforms are mounted in a horizontal relationship on the outside andabove platforms 16. A vertical petition wall 51 can extend downwardlyfrom veranda 50 to the outer edge of platforms 16. The elevation ofverandas 50 should be about equal to the threshold level of the trailersso that the occupants of the trailer can walk directly from the verandainto their trailer.

It is noted that the longitudinal and vertical support for platform 16is located at a position slightly inward of the mid-section of trailersto be mounted on the platform or at least far enough inwardly. A cut outarea 31 of sufiicient depth can be cut into platform 16 withoutinterfering with the structural beam 26.

By this device I-beam 40 can position the trailer for supportingengagement on the respective platforms by lateral or transverse movementof the elevator in registry with the platform. It is important that thefull structural engagement of the I-beam be maintained with wall 15 sothat it would not be feasible to make the cut-out portion extend beyondthe point of engagement of the I-beam of wall 15. For this reason I-beam26 forms the support for the platform while still allowing the platformto be constructed for the full allowance of the cables to be moved intoregistry for trailer deposit.

While the drawings and the specification describe a straight dependingbeam 26 it is noted that other configurations can be employed such asU-beams and the like. However, in all such cases the primary supportingbeam and structure must be outward of the innermost extension of desiredmovement for the cables 35.

It is also noted that forks 49 are movable to accommodate trailers ofvarious sizes so that regardless of whether the trailer is a short or along trailer the forks will engage the trailer in substantially the samemanner with the arms 46 abutting the front and rear walls of the trailerand with the forks engaging the sides thereof.

I-beam 40 has a relatively small height so that the I-beam portion ofthe elevator occupies very little space in the area above the trailer.By this means the spacing between each two stacked platforms 16 need notbe more than the height of trailers to be used in the spacing plus theoperating height of the I-beam.

It is also noted that the lower extremity of the beams 26 can form anabutment against which I-beam 44 can engage when the elevator is movedoutwardly. This would insure in each case that the trailers are mountedin precisely the same alignment and also allows the I-beams to be movedcloser to the bottom of platform 16, regardless of the depth of beams26. This is illustrated in FIG. 4 where it can be seen that the I-beamcan be laterally moved in the area under platform 16 between a bottomextension of beam 26 and the bottom of platform 16. This facilitates agreat economy in spacing between floors.

Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail byway of illustration and example for purposes of clarity ofunderstanding, it is understood that certain changes and modificationsmay be practiced within the spirit of the invention as limited only bythe scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a building structure of the type adapted to carry a plurality ofhouse trailers in stacked relationship, the improvement comprising: anenclosure including two spaced apart, vertical walls and having at leastone vertical opening at right angles thereto extending substantiallyfrom one of said vertical walls to said other vertical wall, a pluralityof trailer support platforms mounted on said walls in superimposedrelationship and extending horizontally therebetween, each platformhaving a trailer supporting area and a non-trailer supporting area, saidtrailer supporting area being at least as wide as the trailer to besupported and being attached to the vertical wall at its ends fromsubstantially mid-point outwardly and being spaced from the verticalwalls from the mid-point inwardly to define a cable passageway thereon,said nontrailer supporting area extending outwardly from said trailersupporting area toward said vertical opening, a vertical shaftwaypositioned on the side of said trailer supporting area opposite saidvertical opening, elevator means mounted on the top of each wall, cablesdepending adjacent each of said walls operated by said elevator means,trailer transfer means connecting the bottom ends of said cables tosupport trailers, said elevator means being positionable along saidsupport wall to a first position wherein the trailer transfer means islocated in the shaftway to allow the trailers to be elevated topositions in alignment with each of said platforms and movable to asecond position with the cables ali ned with substantially the mid-pointof the trailer support areas of said platforms wherein the trailertransfer means is located over one of said platforms, said cables beingaligned to depend through the space between the vertical wall and thehorizontal platform when the elevator means is moved to the secondposition.

2. The building structure defined in claim 1, wherein said cables areconnected to opposite ends of a beam, and said trailer transfer meansincludes means movably mounted on said beam and depending therefrom tosupport said trailer thereunder.

3. In a building structure of the type adapted-to carry a plurality ofhouse trailers in stacked relationship, the improvement comprising: anenclosure including two spaced apart vertical walls and having at leastone vertical opening at right angles thereto and extending substantially from one of said vertical walls to said other vertical wall,a plurality of horizontal trailer support platforms mounted on saidwalls and extending therebetween to form stacked storage areas, eachplatform having a trailer supporting area and a non-trailer supportingarea, said trailer supporting area being at least as wide as the trailerto be supported and formed by a flat topped horizontal member having adepending horizontal beam integrally formed therewith midway betweenopposite sides of the trailer support area of the platform, said beambeing attached at opposite ends to the vertical walls, each platformhaving a pair of grooves extending from one edge of the platforminwardly to said beam adjacent the ends thereof, said non-trailersupporting area extending outwardly from said trailer supporting areatoward said vertical opening, a vertical shaftway positioned on the sideof said trailer supporting area opposite said vertical opening, anelevator lift means mounted on the top of said structure having twodepending cables aligned with said grooves, a connecting memberconnecting the bottom portions of said cables in alignment with saidgrooves, means to support a house trailer by said connecting member,said elevator means being positionable to a first position out ofvertical registration with said paltform and aligned with said verticalshaftway to allow said connecting members and said trailer supportedthereby to be vertically moved, and being horizontally movable to asecond position with the cables depending through the grooves untiladjacent said horizontal beams to carry a house trailer into verticalregistration with any one of said platforms.

4. A building structure according to claim 3 wherein said horizontalbeam forms a stop to align a house trailer carried by said connectingmember with the central portion of the platform trailer support areaimmediately therebeneath.

5. A structure according to claim 4, wherein said connecting membercomprises an I beam having a pair of trailer supports slidably mountedon said I beam and depending therefrom, and said structure furtherincludes means on the bottom of said trailer supports to supportablyattach said supports to the bottom of opposite ends of said housetrailers.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS BeenAug. 30, 1932 Watson Mar. 28, 1933 Alimanestiano Aug. 4, 1953 FOREIGNPATENTS Germany Nov. 6, 1958 OTHER REFERENCES Popular Science, June1956, page 92.

1. IN A BUILDING STRUCTURE OF THE TYPE ADAPTED TO CARRY A PLURALITY OFHOUSE TRAILERS IN STACKED RELATIONSHIP, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING: ANENCLOSURE INCLUDING TWO SPACED APART, VERTICAL WALLS AND HAVING AT LEASTONE VERTICAL OPENING AT RIGHT ANGLES THERETO EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLYFROM ONE OF SAID VERTICAL WALLS TO SAID OTHER VERTICAL WALL, A PLURALITYOF TRAILER SUPPORT PLATFORMS MOUNTED ON SAID WALLS IN SUPERIMPOSEDRELATIONSHIP AND EXTENDING HORIZONTALLY THEREBETWEEN, EACH PLATFORMHAVING A TRAILER SUPPORTING AREA AND A NON-TRAILER SUPPORTING AREA, SAIDTO BE SUPPORTED AND BEING ATTACHED TO THE VERTICAL WALL AT ITS ENDS FROMSUBSTANTIALLY MID-POINT OUTWARDLY AND BEING SPACED FROM THE VERTICALWALLS FROM THE MID-POINT INWARDLY TO DEFINE A CABLE PASSAGEWAY THEREON,SAID NONTRAILER SUPPORTING AREA EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM SAID TRAILERSUPPORTING AREA TOWARD SAID VERTICAL OPENING, A VERTICAL SHAFTWAYPOSITIONED ON THE SIDE OF SAID TRAILER SUPPORTING AREA OPPOSITE SAIDVERTICAL OPENING, ELEVATOR MEANS MOUNTED ON THE THE TOP OF EACH WALL,CABLES DEPENDING ADJACENT EACH OF SAID WALLS OPERATED BY SAID ELEVATORMEANS, TRAILER TRANSFER MEANS CONNECTING THE BOTTOM ENDS OF SAID CABLESTO SUPPORT TRAILERS, SAID ELEVATOR MEANS BEING POSITIONABLE ALONG SAIDSUPPORT WALL TO A FIRST POSITION WHEREIN THE TRAILER TRANSFER MEANS ISLOCATED IN THE SHAFTWAY TO ALLOW THE TRAILERS TO BE ELEVATED TOPOSITIONS IN ALIGNMENT WITH EACH OF SAID PLATFORMS AND MOVABLE TO ASECOND POSITION WITH THE CABLES ALIGNED WITH SUBSTANTIALLY THE MID-POINTOF THE TRAILER SUPPORT AREAS OF SAID PLATFORMS WHEREIN THE TRAILERTRANSFER MEANS IS LOCATED OVER ONE OF SAID PLATFORMS, SAID CABLES BEINGALIGNED TO DEPEND THROUGH THE SPACE BETWEEN THE VERTICAL WALL AND THEHORIZONTAL PLATFORM WHEN THE ELEVATOR MEANS IS MOVED TO THE SECONDPOSITION.